


Salvation

by spacesix



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse), Resident Evil - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Chreon is much more the focus in chapter 2, Gen, Injury Recovery, Las Plagas, Major Character Injury, Medical Inaccuracies, Non-Graphic Violence, Parasites, Rescue, Trans Leon S. Kennedy, Trans Male Character, little bit of a twist on RE4 canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:41:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25951600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacesix/pseuds/spacesix
Summary: Leon refused to die like this. This was bullshit.If Leon died like this, Chris would probably fly all the way out here himself just to revive him and kill him again himself for being an idiot.
Relationships: Ashley Graham & Leon S. Kennedy, Leon S. Kennedy/Chris Redfield
Comments: 10
Kudos: 86





	1. Chapter 1

Leon refused to die like this. This was bullshit. Getting dropped off to this godforsaken island with barely any supplies, getting injected with the Plagas or whatever Salazar had called it, seeing Ada-fucking-Wong alive and apparently very well with Wesker and Krauser both, getting blown up when the government decided to sterilize the place without confirmation and he and Ashley were actually dead like they probably assumed they were – it was all bullshit. And he lost his new jacket.

But here he was anyway, still kicking along with Ashley under a file of castle currently trying to crush his spine. He’d tried his best, really, to get them both out of the way when he saw the bombs begin their descent, but he hadn’t been fast enough to do much more than push her down and bracket himself on top of her to keep the worst of the rubble off. He was thanked with a now unconscious but alive ward, a full-body ache that no amount of massaging could possibly remove, and a flagpole through the hip pinning him to the ground.

At least it had missed his spine, if the fact that he could still feel his legs was anything to go off of, and there was light in their bubble which meant that there was an opening any they wouldn’t suffocate. Small blessings. He took a stilted breath to stabilize himself, trying not to aggravate his injuries more or disrupt the stability of the rock above them.

If Leon died like this, Chris would probably fly all the way out here himself just to revive him and kill him again himself for being an idiot.

There was a groan and the scraping of gravel as Ashley seemed to start to wake up, shifting in her limited space under him. She blinked up at him owlishly, not seeming to comprehend where they were or what had happened to land them there or who she was with, before the heel of her hand slammed into his chin in a way that definitely would have knocked him back if he were a civilian. Good to know those self defense lessons she toted on about earlier really were worth something to her, he thought.

“Ashley, stop!” he shouted, tipping his head forward so she couldn’t clock him again.

She didn’t, hyperventilating now as she shoved at his arms and tried to get her knees under him. He could hardly blame her – he would have freaked too if he’d woken up in the dark, unable to move, with a large man caging him under his body; but right now, he _really_ needed her to calm down.

“Ashley, stop fighting, you’re safe!”

Again, she didn’t seem to hear him, struggling harder. She really was going to end up knocking him down with as exhausted as he already was if she didn’t stop.

“Fuck- look at me! Listen to my voice, it’s just m-”

He didn’t get a chance to finish his plea. Ashley managed to get her hands under his chest and brace herself and shove – hard – sending him back an inch up the pole and into the sharp rubble at his back.

He gagged at the sudden burst of pain. Thankfully for the girl beneath him nothing coming up other than spit and blood, but the lurch his body gave redoubled the agony and he collapsed back down onto his left forearm as spots danced in his vision. There was a low crackling sound as some of the pile above them gave out and resettled, effectively sealing them in full darkness.

Count their blessings as rescinded. Now they had a countdown. At least the pole had missed his spine.

At least Ashley was awake enough to remember their situation and no longer attempting to claw his eyes out.

Poor girl was lying stock still and rigid beneath him, hands now clutching the straps of his holster for dear life as she tried desperately to calm down.

Fuck it, he decided around Ashley’s whimpering; everything right now was already excruciating and he was fantasizing of the moment he could safely pass out, he may as well take advantage of it and secure them both better. “Ashley,” he ground out between clenched teeth. Her sudden silence hopefully meant she was listening. “I need a favor. On count of three, shift your legs as far as you can to the left, okay? Try not to move anything else.”

There was a stiff nod against his arm, and he smiled. Atta girl.

“You ready?”

Another nod, and a shaky exhale and she prepared herself.

Thank god she had gotten so good at following his instructions, because as soon as he made count he couldn’t have been able to make sure she complied if he wanted to. He jerked his right leg up from where it had been covering hers, hearing the rubble shift slightly to fill in the new vacancy as he shoved that leg forward so his knee was lodged under his shoulder.

Leon sucked in a breath sharper than was comfortable. The tearing sensation he felt in his abdomen and the rush of copper in his mouth that he turned to spit against the wall made him want to scream, but at least with his foot planted steady below his upright arm he could stave off collapse a little longer. 

Huh – suck it, Chris, hyperflexible hips were now good for _two_ things outside of the bedroom.

“Leon?”

His attention snapped quickly to her when she spoke, and he wished there was at least a little light his eyes could adjust to so he could make sure she wasn’t hurt.

“I don’t want to die.” Her voice came as a sob that broke his heart. “I wanna go home, I wanna see my family again, I wanna hang out with my friends again. I want to be normal.”

He mustered up what he hoped was a reassuring tone. “And you will, Ashley. You’ve done a great job so far, you’re almost there.” He huffed to get the settling dust away from their faces. “You’re so strong, Ash, just hang on, I’m going to get you home safe. Can you trust me a little longer?”

He felt her nod after a moment, and he smiled briefly even though she wouldn’t be able to see it.

“Think you can do one more favor for me?”

That sure got her interest.

“What is it?”

“I need you to,” he huffed again. “I need you to get my radio out of my belt. On the back. My handler can send someone for us if we reach her.”

To Ashley’s credit, she didn’t squeal as loud as she probably wanted to at the prospect of more help coming. She did, on the other hand, punch Leon quite hard in the groin and then grabbed his ass in her over-eagerness to retrieve the comm from its location. He had to force himself not to laugh at her stream of apologies when she realized, instead reassuring her that it was fine and just to focus on her objective.

The dim green light of the screen powering on a minute later after some readjustments and button mashing didn’t help visibility in their air pocket in the slightest, but it was a rush to see the thing still worked after all this. Shout-out to the DSO’s obsession with saving money on pretty new gadgets by sticking to old tech wrapped in centimeters-thick plastic and powered by what would pass as a car battery. And to Nokia, for keeping that shit in stock just for them ten years after commercial production stopped.

“It… says the line is busy. Is there another one?”

Ah shit.

“Nope, this only goes to her. Keep trying to call, it’ll tell her they’re from me.”

It was kind of peaceful, in a way. Things were holding steady, Ashley was calm and distracted, Leon didn’t think he was actively bleeding for the time being – just the rhythmic click of the reconnection butting being depressed every minute or so.

It felt like ages had passed before a beep indicated that the connection went though, and Ingrid’s voice and picture spilled over the line through the static.

“Leon, please tell me I’m awake at this hour to by some miracle talk to you and not the sorry bird eating your corpse.” It was weird to hear her drop the strict professionalism she usually had when they talked.

“It’s really me, Hunnigan, don’t worry.”

There was a crash on her end, and for a brief moment he thought he’d actually given her a heart attack.

“Shit, it really is you, I knew you’d make it,” she muttered, probably not intending them to hear. It made Leon smile. “How did you make it out of the blast zone? Are there other infected and cult members who survived in the area?

“Listen, I’d love to catch up but I’m in a bit of a…tight spot, here, Graham too. Am I actually KIA as of now or do you still have clearance to call in backup for me?”

There was a moment of quiet before she replied.

“You and Miss Graham are officially dead in the eyes of the DSO as of the sterilization a few hours ago,” she sighed. Ashley tensed at the words, but Hunnigan kept talking before he could say anything. “But, as of the sterilization and assumed death of our top agent, we’ve requested assistance from the BSAA in sweeping the area for future rehabilitation. You didn’t hear this from me, but they’re scheduled to land in the same zone we deployed you pretty soon.”

God he loved this woman so much. He had no idea what he did to deserve her at his back.

“I think we can hold out the clock for them if you can point them to our signal. Can you let them know to prepare for potential medical and hazard evac?”

“I’ll drop them a good hint or two along the way.” He could hear the wink lilting her voice. “One more thing: are you there Miss Graham?”

“Uh, yeah, I’m here.” Leon got the inkling that she was being unnecessarily timid about speaking to her considering how she’d been talking to him ever since he retrieved her.

“We haven’t notified your father or released a statement to anyone else about your present situation, okay? When you arrive back here, everything will be exactly as you left it with the addition any care you require following this incident.” Ashley breathed a sigh of relief. “I only ask that you please trust Agent Kennedy and the others who arrive to do what’s best. They and I _will_ work to get you home safely at all costs.”

Damn, she was good.

“Thank you Missus – I mean – Agent Hunnigan…”

“I’ll see you both back stateside shortly, and you better stay safe until then. Hunnigan out.” The screen went dark again, only the stubby little red led at the top indicating it was still on and operational.

The silent minutes after the transmission ended was almost deafening, and he could feel Ashley deflate.

“Tell me- tell me about what you’re gonna do. When you get out of here, that is,” he asked suddenly.

She was a smart girl. She’d know the question was just a diversion and that it was probably better to their air supply if she didn’t talk, but he needed a way to keep her calm and not focused on their predicament. She seemed to latch on to it anyway, quietly launching into a tale about… a puppy, or something. No – a kitten, the dogs here were terrifying enough to turn anyone off them – and a café. She liked tea lattes.

He tried to listen, he really did, but he could feel himself slipping. He forced himself to stay conscious and to keep himself steady, despite how bone-deep exhausted he was. A few times, he was distantly aware of the chime exchanged messages and Hunnigan’s tinny voice conversing with Ashley’s softer one.

He wondered what would leave a bigger stain: the undoubtedly large pool of his blood seeping into his companion’s sweater, or himself if he were to actually just die on top of her.

Both things could be more or less fixed with a big enough sum of money, he supposed.

He lost time for a little while.

…

Leon came back to himself with Ashley's hand patting his cheek incessantly, and he startled when he thought back to what he last remembered happening. It was a damn lucky thing he hadn’t tipped while he was off being a space cadet, or he really would have failed.

There was the unmistakable thud of fully human footsteps somewhere nearby, and smiled to himself, realizing why Ashley tried to wake him just then. For once, the BSAA’s shitty stealth training was the opposite of an issue. Ashley heard it too, is her suddenly perking up was any indication. “Y’hear that, Sherry?” he slurred. She froze against him, but didn’t mention the slip-up. “ ‘t sounds like we’ve got company. Think y’got it in ya t’get their attention?”

Apparently, she sure did, as her frantic screaming of “help” and “over here” exploded in his ear. He couldn’t help smiling again – ever the little spitfire she was. She’d be just fine, even after all this. It was barely a minute more before the sound of rubble being picked apart and thrown aside began, along with trickles of dust that itched against their skin.

Leon noticed the load on top of him getting lighter by the shake in his arms increasing, no longer pinned firm by the weight. The beam of light and rush of fresh but – again, dusty – ocean air blindsided the both of them as soon as a gap was opened in front of their heads. Shit, how long had they been under there? The bombs dropped when the moon was still up, and now it looked bright enough to be midday.

And they Sherry was gone, dragged out from underneath him and away from the collapse zone by two pairs of hands that wrapped around her biceps. Panic momentarily clogged his throat, memories resurfacing of the Tyrant’s hands lunging for his clothing as he ran past and Birkin’s mutated ones clawing their way around the NEST pit and on the train, but it subsided when faces popped into the exit gap.

Chris and Jill were here, and he could make out Carlos’s voice in the background. He watched their faces go from pleased that the girl was okay, to elated that Leon was alive too, to confused and anxious when they reached in and he didn’t take their hands, to downright scared when they looked in and saw the metal skewering him between a rock and a hard place. Literally.

He couldn’t offer much more than a thin smile in greeting before they both disappeared again, Jill’s light steps retreating back toward where Sherry and Carlos had gone as Chris presumably took up excavating him again.

Familiar arms wrapped around his outstretched leg and under his chest to stabilize him as soon as there was a free area around him. He relaxed into the hold when Jill trotted back over, a battery powered circular saw in hand.

“Are you sure that’s safe? What if it-” Chris’s tentative voice came from somewhere above him, more distant than he would have liked.

“It’s the only choice we have, Redfield, unless you want to leave him. We’re not bringing a ten-foot pole into the chopper with us.” Jill was harsh as ever, but there was a tremor that gave away her concern.

The arms around him tightened a fraction. Vaguely, he heard Sherry start to ask louder about what they were doing to him, about if he was going to be okay, with panic in her voice.

“Anything we do right now is going to be bad, but this is the best chance he’s got.” Ah, there we go. Jill always was good at placating her partner.

Right – out in the open, she could see everything wrong with him now, and how they were going to get him out of this. He closed his eyes. He’d put the poor girl through enough, he felt bad making her watch him almost die – again.

“… Please try to make it quick.”

Reality ended for Leon as soon as the saw blade met its target.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, okay, so: first off I'm so sorry how long this took! I meant to update sooner, but between being sent out to help with the firefight in northern California and the start of my classes, I just haven't had the time. My last two works were queued, and I planned to get this one updated before they posted, but obviously that didn't happen. I hope y'all will forgive me for nearly a month of absence ;;;;
> 
> Secondly, thank you all so much for your kind comments and kudos! I'm bad at replying individually, but your words meant so much to me and really meant a lot - I kept ever notification email and must have reread them each a dozen times over. Really, thank you so much to all of you ;w;
> 
> This chapter is a bit different than the last one stylistically than the first, but I thought it'd work a little better with what I wanted to put out, so I hope it's not too jarring. I'm definitely a oneshot sort of writer, so this has been such an adventure and challenge for me to actually commit to something and (for the most part...) not rush through.
> 
> Also a special thank you to the amazing Polaroid_Memoir, if you read this, for letting me forever bounce ideas off of you and for proofreading some of my dialogue <3

Walking the halls of the BSAA’s hospital was strangely… peaceful, Ashley thought, even if she was stuck there pretty much against her will for the time being and had to have an agent with her at all times.

It was a lot different from the civilian hospitals she had seen; devoid of soullessly tasteful landscapes and potted plants and drop ceiling tiles, and instead comprised near entirely of sleek white and blue and steel edges and frosted glass rooms and unmarked doors. It was more like an ultramodern lab than anything, but she’d still found it comforting in its own way for the last few weeks she had been here – even if she eagerly counted down the few days left before her discharge papers would finally be approved.

She’d taken to doing laps around the commonways and through the courtyards per her doctor’s advice, eager to finally stretch her legs again after so long on bedrest following her surgery. Eventually, though, those routes got a little bit old. She wanted to explore a little more, and if there’s one thing she’d learned well in her 21 years of life as an only child and as the daughter of the US President and now as a kidnapped hostage, it was how to sneak away from people tasked with your surveillance.

Which is how she found herself stowed away in an observation room in one of the restricted recovery wings of the building while she took a brief rest. More specifically, the observation room designated for the room that currently housed one Agent Leon Kennedy, if the fact that the man was visible among the small crowd gathered in the room beyond the one-way window.

She would swear she ended up there just by chance – Ashley only really knew that Leon was still here too because Jill visited on a few occasions, as did Chris others, and told her what they could when she asked – but she wasn’t about to pass up the chance to see him again outside of the operating room.

He honestly… wasn’t looking great. Considering he _did_ just get out of yet another major surgery, though, she supposed she could give him a pass. He was barely conscious; only holding himself up with the assistance of the large brace that kept his torso aligned and Chris, who was sitting on the bed behind him and acting as a sort of backrest, she guessed. He was awake, though, and that’s what she focused on immediately – that his eyes were open, albeit only a little bit. Still, that little bit was enough to get confirmation that his treatments were working despite everything, that that awful sharp red color was reduced to only a few streaks through his irises instead of consuming the blue like it had before.

Under the stark white lighting, that blue looked far more vibrant than it ever had in the never-ending drab of that village. She couldn’t help but give a small cheer.

They were testing his nerves it looked like – doing that awful prick test on his fingers and toes and tapping the hammer thing along his limbs the same way they had done for her. Chris was in charge of manipulating his body while the doctors and technicians did their thing, ever so gently helping him reposition himself as they directed and whispering what she assumed were assurances close to his ear.

Ashley watched with intent as she noticed the older agent’s smile tick upwards with every twitch and spike on the monitor Leon produced in response to the jabs.

As she excused herself from the room just as they finished the testing and began to pack up and get Leon re-settled, she wondered if the Captain knew how obvious he was.

…

The only reason he hadn’t died from blood loss before they got to him was because the Plaga didn’t want him to. The only reason he hadn’t lost complete control of himself to the damn thing sooner was because the G-virus antibodies he’d developed after Raccoon City half ate him alive mutated it into submission before it got too mature.

Chris dropped heavily onto the bench of the operating theater’s observation deck with a sigh. Sometimes he really fucking hated his job.

The sound of the door opening to his left drew his attention as someone decidedly not in a white lab coat or carrying a heavy clipboard came through.

“Miss Graham,” Chris said, surprised. He rose again to greet Ashley, moving protectively between her and the viewing window. “What brings you here?”

“I… just wanted to see how he was doing, I guess.”

Her voice was uncharacteristically quiet compared to how he’d seen her bounce back to what he assumed was her usual self after her recovery stint in the hospital, and he felt a pang of pity. She probably felt as guilty about all of this as he did, even though she had no reason to be.

“He’s doing as well as we can hope.” Chris looked over his shoulder down at the room through the glass, where about dozen doctors and researchers alike were pinching and poking away at the prone body and taking pages and pages of notes, just as they had been for the last however many weeks. He beckoned Ashley towards the bench he previously occupied, the both of them happy to rest again in their vigil.

“There’s a ways to go left before he’s in the clear, but… he’s a fighter. Actually won the ‘most stubborn asshole’ award few years ago too,” he snorted, smiling at the memory of Leon’s indignant acceptance of the sharpie-drawn certificate and subsequent speech. “He’ll be fine.”

Ashley smiled back appreciatively settling in next to Chris as they lapsed into silence. Until a few minutes later, that is, when Chris noticed where her eyes had gotten caught.

It wasn’t exactly unexpected, if he was being honest. Last time she was in here, they’d been doing yet another operation on his spine to remove the plagas’ arms from around his nerves. Now that he was on his back so they could remove the actual thing form his ribs, well, everything was up for show. Chris was just surprised she hadn’t mentioned or maybe even noticed anything earlier

“It’s rude to stare, you know.” He said, arching an eyebrow and smirking down at her. He couldn’t help but laugh as she flushed brightly in shame at being caught and her sputtered apology.

“I wasn’t – it’s not – I just – is that why when –”

“It’s fine, Ashley,” he cut her off with a wave of his hand and ruffled her hair. “He doesn’t mind; gets a kick out of catching people off guard sometimes, even. He’s still just Leon.” She sagged in her seat, patting her cheeks as if it would will the blood from them.

“Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me,” she giggled. “He’s his own kind of special.”

“…Yeah, he is.” Chris’s voice was nothing short of fond.

They went quiet again as they resumed their observation.

…

Ashley swung her feet idly as she sat in one of the chairs by Leon’s bedside, the scuff of her boot’s heels on the ground keeping time with the steady beep of the ECG. The two of them were waiting for Chris to get back, in the meantime watching was she was pretty sure was Wheel of Fortune on the quiet little corner TV, but it might have also been Jeopardy – she wasn’t really focusing on that.

Her attention was more on her companion, who was finally, actually awake and more-or-less coherent. Granted, he’d been awake for a few days now, but those had mostly been comprised of him whining about only getting to eat ice chips and not being allowed to sit up. Now he was kind of fun again, graduating to having his bed inclined enough to satisfy him along with his choice of Jell-O as a treat.

The guy picked orange. Out of every color being an option, he picked orange. Seriously; who in their right mind likes orange flavor? At least it hadn’t been green. If he had picked green she might have had to leave.

She watched out of the corner of her eye as he fastidiously shoveled it into his mouth with a whole-handed grip on the spoon, barely holding back giggles every time he moved too fast and the cubes threatened to jiggle away. He pouted at her every time she let one slip and had to muffle it behind her hand.

“Hey, Leon?” she asked, breaking the silence they had slipped into after he’d finished. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure? Saying no never stopped you from asking anyway before.” Leon’s cheeky smirk and the tease loosened the tension from her shoulders, and she brought her legs up to hug her knees.

“Who’s Sherry?”

He paled, his earlier expression blanking in an instant, and Ashley flushed in embarrassment at asking something obviously personal. “Ah – I’m sorry to pry, you don’t have to ans-”

“It’s fine. Just caught me off guard.” He cut off her apology, waving a hand dismissively as he collected himself. “Where did you hear that name?”

“You called me it, a few times. Back on the island before the others got to us.”

“She’s my daughter.” He replied eventually, quickly continuing when Ashley blinked at him owlishly at his declaration. “Not like, _literally_. It’s more of an unofficial adoption?” Maybe he wasn’t allowed or able to physically shrug, but the verbal inflection was still there. Ashley just looked even more confused.

“Are you saying you like, kidnapped her?”

“What? No, shit, not at all!” Leon snorted out a laugh. “She was with me and another friend though some ah… stuff… a while ago. We stuck together afterwards, looked after each other; that sort of thing. She got a new family before long, though. A real one. We used to visit, but I haven’t been able to see her in a few years.”

They were quiet again as Ashley thought over his words. Her voice was soft when she spoke next.

“What’s she like?”

“A bit like you, to be honest,” he replied after a moment. “About your age too, just a little younger; she should be starting college soon.” He smiled lightly and settled back against the bed. “Never let anything get her down, no matter how bad. Brave too, and smart and protective as all get out. She used to have a habit when she was still little of trying to pick fights with anyone she thought was being mean to someone else, even Chris when she first met him and he was still suspicious of me. But she’s sweeter than anything too. Always a ball of energy. ”

She smiled at his rambling, even as he got progressively quieter as he tired “She seems nice, I hope I get to meet her someday. And you know… this probably sounds rich coming from me, but government paperwork isn’t always everything. Your family can be whoever you want it to be – your friends, pets, partners, actual siblings, kids – doesn’t matter. I think you and Sherry are a real family, if you love each other that much. You and Captain Redfield seem close too, maybe he’s in your family too.” The last sentence was added in a rush.

Leon just blinked at her for a long moment before blushing. “I mean, yeah, we’re close. Been together for a few years through a lot of stuff. I don’t know if he wants to be called _family_ family just yet, though. Did he-”

He was interrupted by Chris’s arrival, which made his blush darken, and the chime of Ashley’s phone notifying her that one of her dad’s agents was here to pick her up. As the two passed each other on their ways in an out of the room following salutations, trading a smile and nod, she clapped a hand on his shoulder and stood on her tiptoes, leaning in close to his ear.

“Hope you heard all that. You should ask him out, he likes you too,” she whispered, her grin blinding when she stepped away a moment later. She dashed off with only a wink and a wave in his direction, leaving both men bewildered in her wake.

…

“Hey can I ask you something?”

“Well hello to you as well, dear brother; it’s been too long! I’m great thanks for asking. Work’s been going well, and actually I met someone just-”

“Claire.”

“Jeez, fine, you spoilsport. What’s up; is Leon doing okay?”

“He’s doing fine – great, actually, all things considered. He’ll be running around as his usual self in no time if he can help it. You know remember how he was after Raccoon when we had to lock him in to keep him from doing anything too stupid.”

“Chris, your question?”

“Right, right, sorry. It’s about him, actually. And me. Us.”

“Out of everyone you’ve told about you guys, I’m hardly the person to go to about relationship advice. You know that.”

“Yeah, but you know us better than anyone.”

“That’s because all you military-types got Pavlov’d into way too readily divorcing yourselves from your feelings. But fine, ask away.”

“…Do you think we should tell our CO’s about us being together? Like officially?”

“Yes.”

“Just like that? ‘Yes’? But what if…”

“What if what.”

“What if they split us up because of it. What if it means we aren’t allowed to work together and people suffer because they couldn’t let both of us out into the field.”

“Your Commands are smarter than that; have a little faith. They want to end all of this as much as you guys do working for them. You two are among their top agents, if not _the_ top. They’d only split you up for your own good, so you don’t get a repeat of what happened this time.”

“This time was just a mistake.”

“But it might not be in the future, Chris, and you have to think about that. Your work is dangerous, and all information is pretty much air-tight. You getting sent it for rescue, not knowing if he was going to even be alive still by the time you got there? You having to nearly bribe your way into the hospital to see him under the notion you’re the only one able to keep him calm? You not even knowing he was being deployed, much less where to and what his backup was? His handler vaguely knows you guys are close, but she can only do so much without documents. What about in the future, when one of you doesn’t get to come home, and your agencies can’t tell you or him anything?”

“A lecture isn’t really what I called you for.”

“Then pray tell: what were you looking for when you called me? You gave me a yes or no question and asked what I thought.”

“I… I just want to do what’s right to keep him safe.”

“And that’s exactly why I’m talking to you about all this. You and I have each other to stick around for, but Leon Scott Kennedy is going to disappear when his files tell them that no one is around who would care. Saying something would put it on record that he’s got you, even if it has consequences.”

“…”

“I’ve never once seen you as happy as you are when you’re with him, Christopher, even when you’re arguing like idiots. Not even that time Mom and Dad snuck you in to see the new Star Wars for your tenth birthday, or when I graduated. And as long as I’ve known Leon, he’s the exact same around you. What you two have, and how long it’s lasted, that’s not just something born out of codependency and desperation and loneliness; not even in your line of work. It’s special. It’s worth being protected, and I know that neither of you are stupid enough to not realize that you want to make sure it is.”

“…I think you’re right.”

“Damn right I’m right. Now go talk to him about it. And give him my best for me.”

“Will do. Thanks, Claire.”

“Anytime. I was serious about it being too long, though. Call me after you’re done; I wanna catch up for real.”

…

Ingrid dropped her forehead into her hands, hunching in on herself in the chair. “I was the one who called in the bombing, Leon. Mike was already on his way to come get you and Miss Graham, and I was the one who told him he was to neutralize the island instead.”

“Sure, maybe. But that’s part of your job as an agent. You’re supposed to look after me, but you have your own orders too – ones that take precedent over my safety, or my recovery if I’m assumed dead. I may not know your clearance level, but I’m pretty sure an air strike is beyond you to initiate.”

“I could have disobeyed.”

“And what, gotten fired? You do remember that you’re the one who saved our asses in the end, right? You were my only point of contact, and you were there for me when I needed you. I put my trust you for reasons past being required to, and you haven’t given me reason to take it back yet.”

She opened her mouth to retort again but stopped short of actually saying anything, thinking back to the events that had led them both to this point.

This had been far from her first case under the DSO’s leadership, but it had been her first case with Kennedy as her assigned agent to manage. She had known he was competent and would hardly need her. Everyone did, given his track record and notoriety among the agency. That just meant that the pressure was on to keep him alive through all his bullheadedness.

For the twenty-six hours that had passed between their connection going out at that castle and when she had answered and responded to Leon and Ashley’s SOS call, she thought she had failed.

For the nearly two and a half months of radio silence that had passed between Redfield confirming to her that they had located and extracted the two and were headed back ahead of the rest of Reclamation, and the call she had received out of the blue that she had been a approved to visit BSAA Research Headquarters, she thought she had again.

So she’d dawdled in accepting the invitation, thinking she didn’t really deserve to be there – or maybe she just hadn’t wanted to face what he might think of her.

And now she hated herself for doing so, when she’d arrived to find Leon’s room empty and the man slouched under the stairwell to the next floor, shaking and sweating, his face pale but cheeks flushed with exertion and anxiety. Leon S. Kennedy and hospitals did not mix. According to Redfield, who she had dragged in from the courtyard outside to help her carry him back to the room and get a nurse to administer more sedative, Leon S. Kennedy and months of barely-there memories and declined physical ability didn’t mix either.

But… she was still here. She had still been there. And not once, even when she had been working other cases with dozens of other agents, had Leon’s fate ever left her mind. And Leon was smart enough to know it without her admitting she’d kept his files open, clinging to a paper copy so he couldn’t be erased and monitoring the digital one in hopes that the KIA would turn back into and ALIVE.

“Also,” he waved his hand dismissively and smirked, interrupting her thoughts after perhaps a little too long of being stuck in them. “I really should have expected it when you said they were sending a second chopper. Always knew Mike was a trigger-happy son of a bitch. He probably would have shot at me anyway even if he did stay on rescue. Village people are one thing, but the place was crawling with infected soldiers.”

He carefully didn’t mention the fact that Krauser had been one of them, knowing that she would have to add it to her report when she left. Besides, the snort of a laugh she gave at his commentary as she wiped her eyes was too good to be bogged down by that information.

“I’m going to tell him you said that.”

“I’m right. And I’m in the hospital. He’s not allowed to kick my ass even if he was capable of it.”

She laughed again, and he grinned. It was nice when she relaxed.

…

Leon looked doubtful, avoiding Chris’s pleading gaze and instead staring resolutely at the monitor next to his bed.

“I want to be selfish, Leon, just this once. I want to keep you. I don’t know what I would have done if you really had died this time, and I don’t know what I’m going to do if there’s a next time.”

This had been going on for almost an hour, a one-sided conversation between the two of them that began when Leon asked Chris to finally say something, _anything_ , about what had been so obviously plaguing him since he ever started visiting. To both of their surprise, Chris had gotten talking pretty quickly about all of it. To no one’s surprise at all, Leon immediately clammed up and looked like he wished he could retract his question the second actual emotions and their relationship were brought up.

“You talked to Claire, didn’t you. She told you we should say something.”

“To be fair, she did most of the talking. And she raised some good points.”

“When does she not? Between the two of you, she’s got the brain cell at least eighty percent of the time.” Chris managed a watery smile at the joke, but it quickly fell.

“ _Please_ , just think about it, Leon.” The older man leaned forward in his chair, bracing his crossed arms on the edge of the bed. “We should have a paper trail or at the very least someone ranking on the inside who can verify us being important to one another. We’ve known each other for six years, and been serious almost half of them. I don’t want you to go out there someday and not come back and that be the end of us, just like I’m sure you don’t want that for me.”

“This was just a mishap; they happen. Hunnigan already explained the situation, and it was justified given the circumstance.” Leon swung his legs over the edge of the bed and sat up to face Chris fully. He stretched his arms out, rotating them in full view of the other and wiggling his fingers. “And see, look; no lasting damage. Just a few scars, and those are hardly new to us. It’s not like I died, and even if I had it would have been a small price to pay for getting rid of what I saw on that island.”

That was, apparently, the exact wrong thing to say. Chris could only look at him in open-mouthed shock for a full minute before he clenched his jaw shut and glared at him, planting his hands on the bed and shoving himself up fast enough to make Leon flinch backwards.

“Can you take your life seriously and think of the people around you for _one_. _Fucking. Second?_ ” he hissed incredulously. “You _did_ die, Leon, in the chopper on the way back. Twice. Jill had to be the one to resuscitate you both times after she’d already taken control of getting you out of there in the first place because I was too much of a mess to do anything myself.”

His voice cracked sharply at the end of the sentence. Whatever mental dam had been keeping Chris calm in his conversation with Leon earlier had broken, leaving him to get louder and louder as he paced the room and vented his frustrations.

“It was fucking _hell_ bringing you back here, you know that? The not knowing if you would even make it or not despite everything we threw at you to try and help? The first month when they were just letting you recover enough to have a chance at surviving surgery, they couldn’t even give you blood past the bare-fucking-minimum above what would keep your body from shutting down. They were too concerned about feeding the Plaga-whatever to the point of it waking up fully.

“Even when they were just taking the out the damn metal and stitching you up – god, the _things_ that came out of there. We thought they were tearing you apart. You were unconscious for hours, you barely had a pulse and weren’t responding to stimulus tests, but you woke up out of nowhere just screaming and fighting and your eyes – your eyes were so red and they thought you had turned. There was no blue, nothing of you, left in them. They thought you weren’t human, Leon. They wanted to put you down before you even had a chance and we had had to beg to convince them you needed one.

“You don’t know what it was _like_ Leon, because you don’t remember. You didn’t see what you looked like. You weren’t the one being sent to some god forsaken island to clear out the bodies and take samples like it was just some routine downtime mission. You weren’t the one who got a call from some woman you didn’t know claiming to work for your boyfriend’s agency telling you to prepare for medical evac. You weren’t the one who thought your boyfriend was safe and fine and at home just hours before you felt him go completely limp in your arms, who thought you fucked up so bad you killed him trying to save him.”

Chris took a deep breath. Then another. He scrubbed the tears that had escaped down his face away with the back of his hands, and turned to look at Leon. The man looked smaller than he’d ever seen him before – hunched in on himself with his knees pulled up to his chest, washed out and near swimming in his oversized white scrubs, staring back at him openly as he digested every word Chris spouted off.

They were both more vulnerable and raw than they ever had been before around anyone, around each other.

It hurt.

“You weren’t the one who had to watch you barely survive the night, Leon, every night, for months. You were going downhill, fast, the whole time. I had to watch you die slowly and painfully and entirely out of reach from me in every way for fucking _months_. The only reason you’re still here now is because Ashley was alive and able to remember enough of Sera’s notes to let the engineers build half a cure, and to volunteer to go first to make sure it worked for you.”

It was silent aside from Chris’s attempts to get himself back under control for a long minute.

“I…I’m sorry.” Leon’s voice was quiet. He unfolded himself from his position and stood, picking his way carefully over to where the other was standing rigid. “I’m sorry,” he repeated as he took one of Chris’s shaking hands in his own to guide him back toward the bed so they could both sit on it. “For being an asshole. I didn’t even think about what it must have been like for you. I’m sorry.”

Chris went willingly, half curling into the younger man but hovering just out of reach as if he feared Leon would truly shatter and disappear if he touched him. Leon wrapped his arms around him and hauled him into a real hug after barely a moment of hesitation, turning his head to press his face into Chris’s hair and just holding him as he started to sob.

“We should tell someone.”

…

“You can shuffle your skinny ass all the way to the front desk if that’s what you want to do to try and prove yourself, but you still have to take the wheelchair out, Leon.”

Chris sounded entirely done, but Claire just laughed as she walked along next to Leon, who was intent on doing just that.

“This is far from the fastest way to get out of here Mister ‘Can’t-wait-to-leave’.”

Leon looked over his shoulder and smirked at where the other man was following behind them. He was pushing the chair along close enough to threaten him with falling into it if he slowed down in the slightest. “Oh, is that my name now? And here I though you wanted me to be the second Mister Redfield. I’ll have to let Hunnigan know about the change in plans.”

“You two are ridiculous, you know that? Absolutely ridiculous.” Claire muttered to herself.

“Don’t make me run you over with this and have them keep you another week.” The threat in his words was lost to the look on his bright red face.

The group made it to the lobby a few minutes’ walk and an elevator ride later, by which point Leon had resigned himself to accepting the chair and settled into it with an exasperated groan.

The siblings’ assurances that there wasn’t any need to be shy about needing it after everything he’d been through were only slightly thrown off by the fact that they were rather obviously recording the nurses cooing over him while he filled out his discharge papers, asking if he needed help out and how he was feeling and, well, someone to look after him while he finished his recovery. At least Chris was as embarrassed as he was about all the gushing attention, and helped fend them off so they could get out of there as quickly as they were allowed.

They were in the car not ten minutes later, Claire hopping in the back after returning the wheelchair and Chris and Leon sharing a conspicuously public kiss in the front seat.

They were broken up suddenly by Claire slapping her hand on Chris’s forehead and shoving him back into his seat, clearing the area above the center console for her to then lean into. “Get that shit out of here, Christopher, no one wants to see that.” She planted a kiss of her own on Leon’s cheek, sharing a twinning grin with him before they both turned back towards their driver.

Chris had the dignity to plant a hand over his heart and gasp in faux offense, gaping at them in shock while they laughed at his expense before subtly clearing his throat and smiling.

“It’s good to have you idiots back. Both of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thank you for reading! Any comments or constructive criticism is welcome.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> I have a shred in planning for a chapter 2 but let me know if y'all even want it.


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